Brawley cheer squad scores top 10 finish in nationals
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Brawley Union High School competitive cheer squad was one of 953 teams competing in various divisions Saturday for the 2019 National High School Cheer Championship, held in the ESPN Wide Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
It ended the day with a top 10 finish.
Competing in the Large Varsity Non-Tumbling category, the Brawley squad made it to the finals and finished ninth before a crowd estimated at 20,000.
“This was the second year that BUHS cheer was offered a bid to compete at UCA Nationals,” said Megan Griggs, the school’s cheer coach. “From the start of our competitive season, our goal was to make it to finals. To see them succeed in what they set out to do is the greatest feeling you can have as a coach.
“To be top ten in the nation feels so good because we got to see what all of our hard work went to,” said Molly Wilson, senior cheerleader at BUHS. “I hope people realize that cheer is a sport. Being top nine in the nation is not easy, and it took endless hours of practice to get to where we are today.”
Brawley took the floor early morning, and then they had to wait until mid-afternoon to learn if they would be competing in the evening’s final round.
“We will remember the nerves and anxiety that rushed through our bodies while waiting for our name to be called, and when we finally heard it, we knew it was time to give it our all on the floor one more time,” said Captain Jennifer Gastelum.
This year’s cheer team has set a new standard for many years to come to inspire future groups of Brawley cheerleaders.
“There are young kids who cannot wait to be in their shoes,” Griggs said.
“I am so thankful for the graduating seniors who helped to lead the way. And for our underclassmen who will be here next year, we are ready to keep improving and continuing to bring home titles to good ol’ Brawley.”
Griggs expressed thanks to the BUHS community for helping fund the trip to nationals and to the faculty for approving the trip to compete.